What Do You Check First?

A piece of equipment trips.

What is the first thing you check?

It is easy to focus immediately on the breaker, fuse, or alarm that operated. However, that device may have done exactly what it was designed to do.

Before resetting anything, think through the system:

• What is the source?
• What is the load?
• What voltage should be present?
• What current should be expected?
• What changed before the trip?

Share your first troubleshooting step in the comments.